Preoccupation in Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Preoccupation led to the downfall of our protagonist, Willy Loman. In Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller, we are constantly faced with the theme of preoccupation represented differently through each character. This extract represents the different characters preoccupations, as well as how each character deals with these obsessions. 

Willy is preoccupied by his own fantasies and self-absorbed in the dreams he has for the future. He reacts negatively when Biff calls him “a dime a dozen” as it contradicts the image that Willy wants to portray to the world, even though he knows that he has failed. Willy is aware of his future, but too preoccupied by his dreams of becoming a successful salesman and being well liked and respected, that he chooses to ignore his inevitable future. Willy pushes his children hard and is disappointed that they are not as successful as he would like, as he thinks of himself as a successful man, however disillusioned he may be. When Biff confronts Willy about his failures and the reasons therefore, Willy dismisses these as his own fault and takes no responsibility for his son’s airs and graces, caused by his obsession with being the best. Willy sees Biff’s outburst as him being spiteful and wanting to embarrass him, while Biff reasons that he is just accepting his future.

Biff brings up a major theme in the play by addressing his realisation of what brings him happiness. Both Biff and Willy have a great love for the outdoors and working with their hands, yet both of them constantly feel the need to chase a dream or image to impress or please other people, rather than focus on what makes them happy. This preoccupation of money and success bringing them happiness is in jeopardy and Biff is willing to accept his capabilities, while Willy seems to hide in the shell of his dreams. Biff tells Willy about his experience with the stolen pen and stopping and thinking about what he is doing, and the realisation that everything he wants is waiting for him, he just has admit this to himself first. When he confronts Willy and asks why this isn’t enough, Willy says with hatred, “The door of your life is wide open!”, which highlights Willys inability to accept his future or present situation, and Biffs “truth”, which is longing to be accepted for who he is by his family.

Biff realises that he is taking a similar route as his father and decides to verbalise his “truth”. This “truth” is not received well by the rest of the family, and it gives us perspective as to how much Biff and Happy are different. Happy is more than pleased to play his fathers charade of deceit and lying to everyone and, more importantly, himself. When Happy denies Biffs statement that they do not tell the truth, Happy is quick to say, “we always told the truth!”, and when confronted by Biff, continues trying to create an image before Biff cuts him off. Biff is tired of the deception and instead wants to be accepted for who he is, and not who he claims to be. Linda is constantly protecting Willy from the harsh truth and is constantly supporting Willy. She begs Biff not to confront Willy as she is intent on keeping his dreams and fantasies alive, even though she does not get the support in return from Willy. She wants to protect his image of himself and, although she knows the truth, does not want to allow Biff to push Willy into self-realisation, as she is scared of the consequences. Linda acts as Willys shield from the reality of his position.

Willys life goal is to have successful sons and, when he realises that they are in fact not successful in his eyes, he feels he has failed as a father. Willy realises that he is worth more to his family dead than he is alive, and in an attempt to salvage his legacy and reputation, he chooses to end his life on his own terms and chooses to, what he believes, save himself and his family, from an unbearable future. We can see Willy as a tragic hero as he realises that he is worth more to his family dead, than he is alive, as he is of no financial assistance to them, nor has he been a good father, and he sacrifices himself to ensure they are aided in the future.

The preoccupation of each individual character was handled differently throughout the play, but ultimately, they all led to the downfall of the protagonist, Willy Loman. Although they all had different views and actions, each characters preoccupations had adverse effects on each other.